Temple sights in Chiang Mai
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Wat Phan Tao
Near Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phan Tao contains a beautiful old teak wí·hăhn that was once a royal residence and is today one of the unsung treasures of Chiang Mai. Constructed entirely of moulded teak panels fitted together and supported by 28 gargantuan teak pillars, the wí·hăhn features naga bargeboards inset with coloured mirror mosaic. On display inside are old temple bells, some ceramics, a few old northern-style gilded wooden Buddhas, and antique cabinets stacked with old palm-leaf manuscripts. The front panel of the building displays a mirrored mosaic of a peacock standing over a dog, representing the astrological year of the former royal resident's birth, makin…
reviewed
-
Phra Tamnak Bhu Bhing
About 4km beyond the temple is Phra Tamnak Phu Bhing, a winter palace for the royal family surrounded by gardens that are open to the public. It closes if the royal family is visiting, but that's not very often. The gardens specialise in cool-weather flowers, like roses, which are exotic to Thais. More interesting is the water reservoir brought to life by dancing fountains moving in sync to musical compositions by the king. Though not a must, the gardens are good for 'nature sightseers' who like their forests to have paved footpaths.
reviewed
-
B
Wat Chiang Yeun
Another unique local temple is 16th-century Wat Chiang Yeun, just northeast of Pratu Chang Pheuak. Besides the large northern-style chedi here, the main attraction is an old Burmese colonial-style gate and pavilion on the eastern side of the school grounds attached to the wát. This area of Chiang Mai was historically settled by Shan people and the shops still maintain that ethnic identity, catering to Shan and Burmese temple-goers with such products as pickled tea leaves (mêe·ang in Thai) and Shan-style noodles.
reviewed
-
C
Wat Jet Yot
Dedicated temple-spotters are the prime candidates for Wat Jet Yot. It was built to host the eighth World Buddhist Council in 1477, a momentous occasion for the Lanna capital. To the back of the temple compound are the ruins of the old wí·hăhn, which was supposed to be a replica of the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya, India, but the proportions don't match up. Some scholars assume that the blueprint for the temple must have come from a small votive tablet depicting the Mahabodhi in distorted perspective.
Although much of the decorative stucco work is gone, you can still count the jèt yôrt (seven spires) that represent the seven weeks Buddha was supposed to have spent in …
reviewed
-
D
Wat Phuak Hong
This neighbourhood wát, located behind Suan Buak Hat (Buak Hat Park), contains the locally revered Chedi Si Pheuak. The chedi is more than 100 years old and features the 'stacked spheres' style seen only here and at Wat Ku Tao, and most likely influenced by Thai Lü chedi in China's Xishuangbanna (also spelled Sipsongpanna) district, Yunnan.
reviewed
-
Wat U Mong
If you've never visited a forest wát, you should make the trek to this temple. Not only does it offer a secluded sylvan setting, considered an important component for meditation in the forest wát tradition, it is also famous for its interconnecting tunnels built underneath the main chedi terrace.
The temple was first used during Phaya Mengrai's rule in the 14th century. The brick-lined tunnels were allegedly fashioned around 1380 for the clairvoyant monk Thera Jan. The monastery was abandoned at a later date and wasn't reactivated until a local Thai prince sponsored a restoration in the late 1940s. The since-deceased Ajan Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, a well-known monk and teacher…
reviewed
-
E
Wat Ku Tao
North of the moat, Wat Ku Tao dates from 1613 and has a unique chedi that looks like a pile of diminishing spheres, a Tai Lü design common in Yunnan, China. The chedi is said to contain the ashes of Tharawadi Min, a son of the Burmese king Bayinnaung, ruler of Lanna from 1578 to 1607.
reviewed
-
F
Wat Phra Singh
Chiang Mai's most visited temple, Wat Phra Singh owes its fame to the fact that it houses the city's most revered Buddha image, Phra Singh (Lion Buddha), and it has a fine collection of classic Lanna art and architecture.
Despite Phra Singh's exalted status, very little is actually known about the image. It is considered one of the most beautiful examples of Lanna religious art thanks to its thick human-like features and lotus-shaped topknot. Because there are two nearly identical images in Nakhon Si Thammarat and Bangkok, no one knows if this is the real one, nor can anyone document its place of origin. Regardless, this Phra Singh image came to reside here around the 1360…
reviewed
-
G
Wat Chiang Man
Considered to be the oldest wát in the city, Wat Chiang Man, is believed to have been established by the city's founder, Phaya Mengrai. The wát features typical northern Thai temple architecture.
Two important Buddha images are kept in a glass cabinet inside the smaller sanctuary to the right of the main chapel. Phra Sila is a marble bas-relief Buddha that stands about 30cm high and reportedly came from Sri Lanka or India. The well-known Phra Sae Tang Khamani, a crystal seated-Buddha image, is thought to have come from Lavo (Lopburi) 1800 years ago and stands just 10cm high. The chapel housing the venerated images is open between 9am and 5pm.
In front of the bòht (ordina…
reviewed
-
H
Wat Suan Dok
Built on a former flower garden in 1373, this temple is not as architecturally interesting as the temples in the old city but it does have a very powerful photographic attribute: the temple's collection of whitewashed chedi sit in the foreground while the blue peaks of Doi Suthep and Doi Pui loom in the background.
Wat Suan Dok is also spiritually united with the temple that sits upon Doi Suthep thanks to an auspicious relic brought to Chiang Mai by Phra Sumana Thera, a visiting monk from Sukhothai. According to legend, the relic miraculously duplicated itself: one piece was enshrined in the temple's large central chedi (recently wrapped in gold sheet), while the other was…
reviewed
Advertisement
-
I
Wat Sisuphan
This wát was founded in 1502, but little remains of the original structures except for some teak pillars and roof beams in the wí·hăhn. The murals inside show an interesting mix of Taoist, Zen and Theravada Buddhist elements. The ubosot (chapel) next door is allegedly the only silver ordination hall in Thailand (although technically they were using a mix of aluminium, compounded silver and pure silver), and the result of the recent renovation is magnificent. The temple hosts a monk chat and meditation instruction. Wat Sisuphan is one of the few wát in Chiang Mai where you can see the Poy Luang (also known as Poy Sang Long) Festival, a Shan-style group ordination of yo…
reviewed
-
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
Like a beacon projecting a calming blanket on the urban plains below, Wat Suthep is seen clearly from Chiang Mai, majestically perched atop Doi Suthep's summit. It is one of the north's most sacred temples, and Thai pilgrims flock here to make merit to the Buddhist relic enshrined in the picturesque golden chedi. Offering sublime city views, when the clouds and smoke-dust haze (March-June) permit, the temple also has an interesting collection of Lanna art and architecture.
The temple was first established in 1383 under King Keu Naone and enjoys a fantastically mystical birth story. A visiting monk from Sukhothai instructed the Lanna king to take the twin of a miraculous re…
reviewed
-
Wat Chetawan, Wat Mahawan & Wat Bupparam
These three wát along Th Tha Phae feature highly ornate wí·hăhn and chedi designed by Shan and Burmese artisans. Financed by Burmese teak merchants who immigrated to Chiang Mai a century or more ago, evidence of Shan/Burmese influence is easily seen in the abundant peacock symbol (a solar symbol common in Burmese and Shan temple architecture) and the Mandalay-style standing Buddhas found in wall niches.
reviewed
-
J
Wat Chedi Luang
Another venerable stop on the temple trail, Wat Chedi Luang is built around a partially ruined Lanna-style chedi dating from 1441 that was believed to be one of the tallest structures in ancient Chiang Mai. Stories say it was damaged by either a 16th-century earthquake or by the cannon fire of King Taksin in 1775 during the recapture of Chiang Mai from the Burmese. The famed Phra Kaew (Emerald Buddha), now held in Bangkok's Wat Phra Kaew (), sat in the eastern niche here in 1475. Today there is a jade replica sitting in its place, financed by the Thai king and carved in 1995 to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the chedi (according to some reckonings), and the 700th anni…
reviewed
